Going beyond the typical "New Year's" resolution: The 9 benefits of exercise and how it affects our health.

I had the opportunity of attending a presentation by Dr. Dorothy Sears, Associate Professor of Medicine from UCSD. She came to speak at the Howell Foundation's luncheon last May with pretty interesting research on a key concern and the potential it has to either, improve or undermine our health: sedentary behavior.

Turns out our parents were right: Eat your fruits and vegetables and exercise! With the just released information from the CDC regarding the obesity epidemic in the US --now at 40% for women-- it is more than clear that type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease are also on the rise. The benefits of exercise are clear: not only does it help to improve our health and reduce the risks of a life-changing disease, but also minimizes the adverse effects of medication while promoting healthy aging.

Did you know that the action of not moving is now on par with the action of smoking? These are the major considerations to think about while we are sitting down:

​ Sedentary behavior is highly associated with obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Risks span over all age groups and gender.

The fact that you work out for half an hour and return to sit pretty much all day is not reducing your health risks.

Sedentary behavior and physical activity are not the same. As a matter of fact, conducting some physical activity does not eliminate the adverse effects of prolonged sitting times.

Exercise IS a simple lifestyle change that can help your overall health. Even though tons of research strongly suggests that exercise benefits practically every single part of your body, the statistics continue to be staggering: only 3 of 10 Americans do enough exercise to keep healthy; 4 of 10 confess they do not exercise at all!

Here are some of the most important benefits of exercise. So let's get moving already!

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Carolyn is a fully bilingual (English/Spanish) and bicultural marketing professional focused on extending the company’s mission goals and objectives through concise and effective communications.

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